Resource Center for Roma Communities (RCRC)

CONTEXT
In April 2001, the government of Romania approved a national strategy for the improvement of the Roma situation. The elaboration of this strategy was a process in which both Roma NGOs and government representatives played an important role; also, funding from the European Commission (2 million Euro) was made available. The strategy implementation is coordinated by the Ministry of Public Information through the National Office for Roma. A Joint Committee for Monitoring and Evaluation was created to insure coherence between sectoral strategies and to insure support in all fields covered. The Ministerial Commissions for Roma have responsibility for the implementation of the sectoral strategies. The domains covered by the strategy are: public administration and community development, housing, social security, health, economy, justice and public order, child protection, education, culture and religion, communication and civic participation.

Roma civil society, which, as stated by the Romanian government, is an important actor in the implementation of the strategy, has registered important developments. The number of NGOs has increased significantly from a dozen at the beginning of the '90s to more than 120 in 2001. The distribution of Roma NGOs is also moving towards smaller cities and rural areas. Still, a large number of NGOs, which hold the most important expertise and financial resources, can be found in Bucharest and large towns in Transylvania.

Even though the RCRC was created only about two years ago, it has become an important actor in the Roma programs, with a positive public image as a center of expertise for Roma and non-Roma organizations.

DIRECTIONS
The center tries to work with a wide range of partners and funders, and has oriented much of its fundraising activities towards Phare programs. The center has designed its activities to support the improvement of management capacity within Roma civil society and to encourage the development of the the younger generation of Roma.

The center is administered the Partnership Fund for Roma, a 900,000 Euro grant-giving program and an important part of the Phare RO9803.01 program for Improvement of the Roma Situation in Romania for 2001. Currently, it is administering the continuation of that program for 2002: the Fund for the Improvement of the Roma Situation, a 927,500 Euro grant-giving program.
Based on negotiations with the Open Society Foundation - Romania, the center was accepted by the Partnership Fund Board, by the National Office for Roma within the Romanian government and by the European Union Delegation to become the organization that will attract and manage funds for the improvement of the situation of the Roma in Romania.

PROGRAMS
Starting with 2002, the center has developed two separate departments: Grant Giving, for management and fundraising for the Partnership Fund for Roma; and Operational, for fundraising and implementation of training, consultancy and community development programs in Roma communities.

Support for creation and development of the national Roma NGOs network.
An evaluation of the Roma civil society shows that the Roma NGOs have the following problems that need to be addressed:

• Limited expertise of human resources
• Need for improvement in the organizational structures, power separation, conflict of interest policies, job descriptions, etc.
• Limited funds-absorption capacity; limited capacity for creation of a positive public image with donors
• Low capacity for strategic planning
• Low sustainability

This program will help ensure a higher standard of project management for the approximately 20 Roma NGOs (in the first group), help them become members of a true network, a help them develop good communication and a presence in the "market."

Publishing Program
The publishing program aims to cover an important lack of information on Roma issues and to reduce the social distance between Roma and non-Roma. The program is focused on publishing books with Roma content. Ten titles were published in 2000 (history books, school manuals, an ABC book, anti-discrimination packages, literature, a conversation guide, etc.) and six more titles were approved in 2001. In 2001, the center also published the Romanian version of the Ina Zoon's report for the Open Society Institute, On the Margins, and the Romanian version of the European Roma Rights Center report on Romania, State of Impunity. Human Rights Abuse of Roma in Romania.

Roma Youth Program
There has been an important development within the younger generation of Roma. More than 800 Roma students are studying in Romanian universities due to the affirmative action measures taken by the Ministry of Education, and affirmative action has been extended to the lower levels of schooling. Through training programs, campaigns in disadvantaged communities, and scholarships addressed to Roma students and young activists, the center intends to create a representative new elite of Roma both capable and committed to representing the interest of Roma communities at the local, national and international levels.

SUCCESS STORIES

Roma Communities in the Election Process
At the end of 2000, the center, with funding from the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, ran a project called "Show You Care about Your Life - Roma Communities in the Election Process," in which 34 young Roma activists were involved in information and motivation campaigns in 67 disadvantaged Roma communities in Transylvania and Moldova.

Defend Your Rights
During 2001, another group of 35 young Roma were involved in a project called "Defend Your Rights!" This was organized under the Phare program "European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights." The young Roma were involved in information campaigns to raising awareness of the issue of discrimination based on racial motives, and about legal norms and responsible institutions.

Training of Roma leaders
In 2000 and 2001, two groups of 25 young Roma NGO activists and students were involved in a complex training program which covered debate, leadership, project management, community development, open society, and human rights and democracy in the European context. The idea behind the program was to create a critical mass of skilled Roma who will take over the leadership of the community. For the first 50 trainees, a info@romacenter.osf.rosmall grant-giving component was launched, on a competition basis, in order to provide them with a chance to put into practice what they have learned. The center will continue the project in the following years.

PARTNERS
Currently the Center is collaborating with, or has contracts running with, among others: Roma NGOs in Romania; the Romanian government's National Office for Roma; the Roma Participation Program at OSI-Budapest; the Roma Culture Initiaive at OSI-Budapest; Spolu International, Holland; The Delegation of the European Commission in Romania; MEDE European Consultancy, Nederlands; Westminster Foundation for Democracy, Great Britain; German Marshall Fund and Charles Stuart Mott Foundation; French Cultural Center, Cluj Napoca; Open Society Institute, New York; Foundation for Development of Civil Society Romania; ARDOR - The Romanian Association for Oratory and Rhetoric; International Organization for Migrations, Romania; Corporate Dutch Foundations of Central and Eastern Europe; Foundation for Democratic Changes, Romania

Resource Center for Roma Communities (RCRC)
Str. Tebei nr. 21, 3400 Cluj Napoca
Phone: +(40-64) 420 474 Fax: +(40-64) 420 470
e-mail: info@romacenter.osf.ro
website: http://www.romacenter.ro

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